Cuppa time

WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER

Ah, these golden days… At least I hope they will be

The art of simple, unfussy family meals

If you struggle to think of exciting weekday suppers everyone can enjoy, look no further than these flavour-packed recipes from food writer Jo Pratt

YOUR HEALTH

• FAD-FREE insight • DEBUNKED food & health

Why the late summer harvest is GOOD FOR YOU

It’s not just an apple a day that keeps the doctor away. Pears, plums, damsons and other orchard fruit are packed with natural ingredients that may help to protect your health. Dietitian Juliette Kellow picks some juicy health facts from the tree

THE HARVEST GLUT

It’s harvest time! The trees are laden with apples and pears, the last of the chillies and corn have ripened – and we always have too many soft herbs knocking around… Got lots to use up? Our food team have simple, useful, savvy ideas

TEST KITCHEN

The delicious. team may not be in an office, but every recipe is still tested, from the food team’s homes – then pics are shared (and the team salivate!). Here, in this new monthly column, food editor Jen Bedloe selects her favourite new supermarket buys, gadgets or kit she’s tested, and shares useful knowledge she’s discovered

HALF PRICE OFFER!

There’s never been a better time to have delicious.

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Your comfort-food-packed October issue

YOUR delicious.

STAR EMAIL

COOK IT LIKE delicious.

…and win a glorious hamper of wonderful afternoon treats

And now for…THE GOOD NEWS

GREAT THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW + STORIES TO RAISE A SMILE

EDITOR’S CHOICE

New, different, beautiful – and tested. That’s editor

HOW TO KIT OUT YOUR KITCHEN

Drawers full of clutter? Debora Robertson, once a collector-hoarder but now the Marie Kondo of the kitchen, guides you through what’s essential for food prep – and what’s not. Clue number one: a veg peeler is a cook’s best friend

Everyone knows that… or DO they?

In the past everyone was much shorter in stature, it was commonplace for cooks to use more spice than they do now, people drank beer instead of water and food was habitually served cold… Yes? Turns out there’s a whole lot more to history than hearsay would have us believe, says food historian Annie Gray

“I couldn’t build my empire on broken dreams”

People are the lifeblood of restaurants, pubs and hotels, but with the industry in a tailspin, many workers have ended up in dire straits. While some employers have been the villains of the piece, others are heroes worth celebrating, says Phoebe Stone

6 seasonal joy-makers every cook needs

Recommendation of the month: put these late-summer recipes straight on your must-make list. Start with tender sweetcorn cobs, unveiled from their husks and served simply grilled or transformed into a silky soup. Move on to ripe plums nestled in a flavoursome almond cake or adding sharp-sweet juiciness to butter-drenched pork chops. Or try hardy autumn spinach as it takes a turn in a Greek-inspired dip or a filo pie that will transport you to Mediterranean shores. These are recipes of the moment – and that moment is now

Glamping for food lovers

Staycations are suddenly all the rage, and glamping

Darina Allen writes to Madhur Jaffrey

Back in the 1980s, Indian cookery legend Madhur graciously accepted fangirl Darina’s invitation to teach some classes at her fledgling cookery school in Ireland. It had a lasting effect on the now-famous Ballymaloe, expanding its horizons in the same way Madhur has inspired thousands of cooks worldwide people.

SHAKE UP YOUR DRINKS

Does your liquid repertoire need a refresh? Susy Atkins suggests new swaps for old favourites. Plus: the best of the new wave of lighter tonic waters

“Cooking became a means of comfort”

As the world retreated indoors earlier this year, Emma Winterschladen found herself cooking on camera. It started as a way to have meaningful interaction with people beyond her friends and family but soon turned into a means of reconnecting with her late mum and gran, through the recipes they once cooked

MADE FOR SIPPING

Mór cider, aged in brandy barrels, is as refined as the Longueville estate in County Cork where it’s made. Crafted using juice from the estate’s orchards, it’s won a top international award. Patrick McGuigan talks to William O’Callaghan, a secondgeneration cider maker who follows the family tradition by keeping things simple

Delia’s food and wine WORKSHOPS

Join Delia Smith, Alex Mackay and other food and wine

4 recipes with a LOVE IT guarantee

If there’s one trustworthy ingredient most of us buy on a weekly basis, it’s mince – whether beef, turkey or pork. Here we showcase its versatile brilliance in a comforting pie, a slow-baked ragù (weeknight game-changer for anyone working at home), pork meatballs lightened with ricotta and sage, and a showstopper inspired by travels to Morocco

THE COOKOUT Summer’s last hurrah

Fingers crossed for an Indian summer – the last chance for a joyous camping or glamping weekend (see p54). And that means the primal pleasure of cooking on an open fire, breathing in the enticing smoky aromas. These dishes are just as good cooked on a garden barbie too, and they’re guaranteed to create a hard-to-match glow of happiness

OTTOLENGHI’S GUIDE TO FLAVOUR

He’s long been the king of bright, modern, veg-packed cooking, popularising a bold, nonchalantly elegant style that’s added a new word to the culinary lexicon: Ottolengi-ish. In this extract from his new book, celebrated cook and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi turns his attention to flavour and how to crank it up to the max, especially when it comes to vegetables. Prepare to want to run to the kitchen

The insanely good BAKED CRAB GRATIN

“It’s been a tough time but we’re so happy the restaurant

MOVIE NIGHT

Immerse yourself in the most popular food film ever – the story of an unlikely hero hitting the world of Parisian fine dining – with a French comfort-food classic and a bottle of bon vin

One pot magic

It was one of the rules of having friends round to eat: never make risotto or you’ll be tied to the stove, stirring. Back in the Nineties, Delia defied convention, offended the purists – and delighted everyone else with a genius no-stir version

The easy bake

Addiction warning: bake these half-cookie-half-brownie sweet treats and they’ll be an immediate hit. Top tip: find a good hiding place for the biscuit tin

THE BIG PUD

With this baked beauty you get a double hit of sublime